The Manchester Rebels of the Fatal '45

In mid‑eighteenth‑century Manchester, the sudden arrival of Prince Charles Edward Stuart and his Jacobite army turns the town into a stage for ambition, fear, and secret loyalties. Drawing on his own boyhood memories of the timber‑framed houses that have since vanished, the author recreates the cramped alleys, bustling markets, and uneasy excitement that rippled through the community.

The story follows a handful of memorable figures—the charismatic Colonel Townley, the earnest Doctor Deacon and his sons, the tragic young lover Jemmy Dawson, and the enigmatic Tom Syddall whose fate became local legend. Their intertwined lives are narrated with a mix of historical detail and personal sentiment, drawing on the lively diary of Beppy Byrom to give voice to ordinary townsfolk swept up in the rebellion. Accompanied by six period illustrations, the early chapters set a tone of romance and turmoil, inviting listeners to experience the human side of a pivotal moment in British history.